deserving
Americanadjective
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qualified for or having a claim to reward, assistance, etc., because of one's actions, qualities, or situation.
the deserving poor;
a deserving applicant.
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meriting; worthy.
a criminal deserving of a lifetime sentence.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deserving
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Deserving alternate: “Better Call Saul” now has 46 Emmy nominations.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2022
She said the two tattoos on his legs — “Punish the Deserving, Protect the Innocent” is the motto of the Tomahawks, 23rd Infantry Regiment, in which Nelson served.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2022
Deserving defendants, he said, get turned away because courts are too full or prosecutors object.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2018
But the later name for that honor, Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, would be much more apt in describing Mr. Friedman’s career as a leader.
From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2016
I knew a man who died in days of yore, To whom no monument is like to rise; And yet there never lived a mortal more Deserving of a shaft to pierce the skies.
From Cobwebs from a Library Corner by Bangs, John Kendrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
